Dear Colleague,
This book is a simple and very different project:
First, I sent a note to my colleagues in the learning and training field asking them for a quick tip on deploying e-Learning in organizations. The thought was that we would get a few dozen and would post a list of Tips on our website for everyone to use. Then:
• The tips started to come in and we evolved the target to a small file that we would call 101 Tips.
• The tips kept coming in and it evolved to 201 Tips, 301 Tips and then 401 Tips.
• The flow of tips didn’t stop and the scope of the project expanded.
• Why not compile these and turn it into a Free Digital Pamphlet, with perhaps 501 Tips for e-Learning.
• As we started the editing process, the project expanded again. Let’s produce this as a full Free Digital Book that we would distribute to the 60,000 colleagues on our TRENDS list.
• To offset the staff expenses, maintain the quality and disseminate it to an even wider audience for free, we decided to add a few e-Learning providers as sponsors, including a digital ad in the book.
• The final product is a 147 page Free Digital Book, formatted into a PDF file that can be read, searched, printed and redistributed without charge.
• And, it will be part of an on-going series of Free Digital Books that The MASIE Center will produce. Here are a few pieces of CONTEXT for the CONTENT in 701 Tips for e-Learning:
• One person’s major AHA tip may seem quite elementary to another person. We have included the widest range of advice and perspectives to address both new and very experienced e-Learning implementations.
• The e-Learning Tips were reproduced as submitted by the sender with a minimum of editing. Our goal was NOT to impose a singular style but to share the original thoughts of your colleagues from around the world. (For example, there are many ways in which the phrase “e-Learning” is spelled.)
• We were not able to include EVERY tip submitted, as we received thousands. If yours was not part of this book, please understand. We will be publishing another TIPS book in a few months, and feel free to send us additional ideas to [email protected].
• A number of TIPS were submitted by colleagues who asked to be anonymous and a few came in without a name in the FROM: field.
• While we funded this project through some low cost sponsorship, no tips were included because of this sponsorship. The MASIE Center continues a three decade commitment to being vendor/supplier neutral.
Now, the license wording. This book is produced as a Free Digital Book by The MASIE Center. Anyone can use, print, save, share or distribute this BOOK with these few conditions:
• 701 Tips for e-Learning is a Free Digital Book produced by The MASIE Center. No one can charge a fee for this file.
• It may be viewed, printed, stored, shared, saved or linked to by any user.
• The file cannot be altered without the permission of The MASIE Center.
• Anyone violating this license will have extremely bad luck in life.
We would love to have your comments, ideas and more tips for future books. Send them to
Yours in Learning,
Elliott Masie
701 e-Learning Tips
Chapter 1: Getting Started: The ABC’s of “e” ... 4
Chapter 2: Strategic Planning vs. Leading Willy Nilly ... 10
Chapter 3: So Many Choices, So Little Time- Contract$, Procurement & Negotiation$ ... 27
Chapter 4: Content, Content (Not To Mention Content)…How To Best Design & Deliver It. 29
Chapter 5: The Learning Tools & Technology Tsunami – Will You Sink Or Swim? ... 61
Chapter 6: Global & Cultural Perspectives - How NOT To Get Lost In Translation... 69
Chapter 7: Still Learning After All These Years (and So You Should Be!) ... 74
Chapter 8: In Recognition & Rewards We Trust... 80
Chapter 9: Testing Here, External Testing There,Quality Assurance Everywhere ... 84
Chapter 10: High Signal/Low Noise – Promoting Learning Like A Pro!... 90
Chapter 11: The Name Of The Game: Integrating & Rolling Out Learning Solutions.... 97
Chapter 12: Pedagogy & Webagogy - Ready, Set … TRAIN and FACILITATE!... 101
Chapter 13: Hey, Who Moved My Administration and Support? ... 124
Chapter 14: Measure For Measure: Doing The “ROI” Thing ... 135
Elliott Masie’s Personal e-Learning Tips ... 139
Click Here For a List of Our Sponsors
Chapter 1: Getting Started: The ABC’s of “e”
You are about to introduce a significant change into the workforce (or perhaps your initial venture
into e-Learning was not as successful as you anticipated and you now need to step back and
re-think/re-assess before beginning anew).
#1
: First Things First
The "e" in e-Learning stands for education -- we too often forget that -- it is not about bandwidth, servers, and cables. It is about education - first and foremost.
Ken Gaines
East-West University
#2
: Find Your Roadmap
Do your homework understanding the basics of e-Learning -- terminology, types of systems, resources available. The task seems daunting at first, but keep reading, asking questions and recognize that it is a cumulative process.
Jean Avison
Wells Fargo
#3
: The Times They Are-a-Changing
Training organizations must rethink their mission, redesign their metrics, and retool their staff. From “We deliver classroom training that we think someone might need” to “We work with the entire company organization -- senior management to individual learners -- to provide whatever is needed at each stage of the learning lifecycle”; From “butts in seats” (or even “happy butts in seats”) to “discovered gaps addressed and met effectively as shown by multiple levels of assessment”; From "stand-up trainer" to "multi-modal consultant" (or from "a cadre of stand-up trainers" to "a team of learning specialists: analysts, assessors, designers, builders, and deliverers.")
Bruce Maples
Humana, Inc.
#4
: There is a Place and a Time For Everything
Be assured that e-Learning is not a silver bullet. Refrain yourself from using e-Learning for every
training/learning opportunity. There is a place for e-Learning, but it is not appropriate in every circumstance.
Ashok Malani
TIMGC, Inc.
#5
: Know & Respect
Know your team/role expectations and then communicate effectively with the entire team. I suggest brainstorming with the team to determine the most effective way and including IT resources. Respect all team members.
Cynthia Eisel
FedEx
#6
: Start Small, Grow Later
If you're just starting out with e-Learning, target a course that is small but high visibility for your organization. After it is deployed successfully, developing future courses will become more easily acceptable.
Rick Zanotti
RELATE Corporation
#7
: Learning Is Learning Is Learning
e-Learning is just a media, a small "e" in front of learning. Thus, everything fundamental about learning applies as well.
Victoria Penacca
Telefonica
#8
: e-Learning = Learning
Be sure to wrap the e-Learning experience with pre-work and/or communication (motivation and preparation), real-time support (either on-line or a point of contact), and post-learning transfer activities (further coaching from manager, follow up communications, post-learning reading and activities, etc.) Just because it's e-Learning doesn't mean we should forget all the things we know about adult learning, moving new skills to performance, and enhancing memory.
Bonnie Goren
MSNBC
#9
: The e-Learner's Pledge
Recognize the skills that serve e-Learners well: Self Advocacy : "I need to learn"; Self Sufficiency: "I am responsible for my learning"; Self Confidence : "I can Learn"; Learning Process: "I know how I learn" and Self Evaluation: "I know whether I am learning." Without this recognition, e-Learning is at best acknowledged as difficult.
Robert Wilkins
St.George Bank
#10
: Put Your Toe Slowly In The Water
Be slow with the 'e' in e-Learning. It's always about learning first.
Antoni van Dijk
Triam
#11
: Don't Fix What Isn't Broken
Sometimes the classroom is the best solution. Keep an open mind and don't create e-Learning just for the sake of having e-Learning.
Lon Fiscus
Corning, Inc.
#12
: The Rules Of The Game
Focus on people, then on corporate needs, then on technology.
Rodrigo Fernandez
IN2
#13
: Those That Can, DO
For e-Learning to be effective in business, it has to support "doing," not only learning. Go back to a fundamental concept in education: behavioral objectives. After an e-Learning session, the student must be able to DO something, not just know something. If you can't state a behavior that the student can do after the e-Learning session, you may have used the e-Learning tool as a hose to spray a thirsty student instead of as a glass.
Harold Strawbridge
#14
: Unite, Don't Divide Your Workforce
Before introducing e-Learning, find out more about the basic skills of the workforce. What proportion use a PC at work? What proportion have the required PC skills? What proportion are able to undertake e-Learning in the working day without prior clearance with a boss? The answers to these questions are critical in designing the overall strategy (and especially important at implementation time). If ignored, there is a possibility of creating or accentuating a digital divide in the workforce.
Martyn Sloman
Chartered Inst. of Personnel Development
#15
: Show Me The Way
If the main reason you want to implement e-Learning is to save money ... stop and ask for directions.
Alberto Duarte
InCharge® Education Foundation, Inc.
#16
: Do You e-Learn?
Make sure you experience being an e-Learner yourself before you attempt to deliver a course online. Sophie di Corpo
University of New South Wales
#17
: Become an e-Learner
Experience e-Learning first hand to understand the student's point of view in an e-Learning situation. What are the frustrations? What becomes easy? What do I, as the student, need to do differently? Do I have enough access to my instructor? Do I have access to the other learners? Do I feel connected to the class? Shut out and lonely? By putting oneself in this situation, trainers can begin to understand what they need to build into their design to assist the learners, who are also making the transition to e-Learning.
Lela Rotondo
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
#18
: The "Hard Stuff' Is The "Soft Stuff'
What's hardest about e-Learning isn't really the design, development, and technology. What's hardest about e-Learning is getting learners motivated and organizations energized. Spending time on the "people-side" of e-Learning will pay great dividends.
Lance Dublin
Co-author, Implementing E-Learning
#19
: Bottom Line
E-Learning is like any other benefit - staff will not use it if they (a) don't know about it, (b) don't understand it, or (c) don't get it free.
Laura More
Care2Learn.com
#20
: First Time?
Consider blending e-Learning with classroom learning as a short mandatory component. This may help people to become comfortable with e-Learning if they haven't tried it before.
Adam Oosterhoff
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
#21
: Fill The Gap, Don't Patch It
Do yourself, your organization, and/or your clients the favor of doing the preliminary footwork necessary to honestly determine whether the targeted reason for the proposed training will actually be affected by training. For example, is the "gap" something that can be narrowed via training, or does the underlying reason for the gap lie elsewhere (internal communication, company culture, management, tools, etc.)? Often times large efforts and budgets are expended building solutions to the wrong problems. Take a little time and money up front to properly analyze what should be done and why - it's a step that will undoubtedly pay for itself several times over (either by preventing unnecessary training from being developed, or by focusing the purpose of the training that is needed).
Jon Revelos
Tata Interactive Systems
#22
: One Step At A Time
First step: think about Learning. Second step: think about e-Learning.
Geellis Winkel
#23
: Begin By Connecting The Dots
Always always always start with the business need the e-Learning is intended to meet. If you can't draw a straight line from the course or Performance Support you are proposing to a bottom-line business result, then don't do it. The only valid way to "make a business case" for e-Learning is to start with the needs of the business.
Karin Albert
#24
: Training Is For Life
If you believe that your training is finished, you may be trained but you are finished.
Anonymous
#25
: Just Getting Started? Making It Required May Lead To Success
Often an Learning course is successful because it is required. Associating a test with the completion of the e-Learning effort could lead to success especially in an environment new to this method of learning.
Janet Lowe
Sun Microsystems
#26
: So Well Said!
On the road to e-Learning, make sure that Learning is in the driving seat, and Technology is in the passenger seat with the map. Learning decides the destination, Technology helps you get there.
Ian Fyfe
Learndirect Scotland
#27
: Start From Square One
Analyze if/when online learning makes sense in your organization. Perform a needs analysis. Is there management buy-in? Do learners have access to the right equipment and software? Analyze which e-Learning delivery method is best: Blended/Hybrid Courses (part classroom, part online); Synchronous (online course, with instruction taking place in real-time via the Internet); Asynchronous (courses taken independently with minimal instructor support).
Kathy Lents
HouseHold International, Inc.
#28
: Don't Get Myopic About e-Learning
E-Learning is only one of the many, many resources available to you to meet your
organization's learning needs. Use it appropriately. I got caught up in the hype until I was forced to step back and gain perspective about all the available tools and resources. As a result, my toolbox is now equipped to handle each job in a more effective and efficient manner.
Bob Huebner
Virginia Credit Union, Inc.
#29
: e-Learning = Change
Treat e-Learning as a "Change Initiative," not just another training program. E-Learning will represent a behavior change for most employees so you and your trainers need to act as "change agents." If your organization has a Change Management discipline, use some of the techniques to guide you as you implement.
Lela Rotondo
Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield
#30
: Look For Grants In All The Right Places
For associations and other non-profits, look for grants and other funding sources to get started in distance learning. We identified three curriculum development projects of key importance to the conservation profession and I was able to find funding for at least portions of all three, including assistance for our initial venture into distance learning. Once we gain experience, expertise, a body of courses, and (happy) learners, we anticipate that future projects will be more time and cost-effective.
Eric Pourchot, Ph.D.
Am. Inst. For Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works
#31
: Practice Safe e-Learning
For your first attempt to launch e-Learning in a slightly skeptical organization which has accepted the Business Case but is awaiting the outcome with interest, select a topic of
enterprise wide significance which is needed by as many employees as possible and has to be delivered in a very short time. The message is to focus on an operational problem/challenge, see it as an opportunity to "'sell" the e-Learning, produce something good but simple and practical, and go for it. Don't begin with management development topics where the immediate gain may prove more difficult to specify to everyone's satisfaction. Be safe, but effective.
Graeme Fraser
Cramond Frasers
#32
: Use e-Learning To Solve Specific "Pain Points"
Don't go for an all-out Napoleonic attack with e-Learning, it might just result in your Waterloo. Rather, focus on a few pain points that can be best solved with e-Learning and just go after these.
Maish Nichani
eLearning Post
#33
: Use e-Learning To "Info-Include"
e-Learning is a very good way to allow people to acquaint themselves with computers and the Internet. If you have "info-excluded" people that you want to involve and gain exposure to IT, try e-Learning with any content that helps this person to develop their competency on the job.
Etelberto Costa
#34
: The Grandma Rule
If you are just starting out with e-Learning in your company, assume that your people know as much about computers as your grandmother. Then you won't be too off base as you work towards changing their paradigms.
Rodrigo Fernandez
IN2
#35
: First Impressions Stick
Make sure a learner's first experience of e-Learning is a good one or else they won't try again.
Gail Smillie
Scottish Enterprise Grampian
Chapter 2: Strategic Planning vs. Leading Willy Nilly
You’ve heard it before and you will hear it again (and again) in this chapter: you need to
actively involve your stakeholders, get buy-in at all levels, know your organization’s
culture and needs, and have a realistic business plan and strategy.
#36
: From Small to Big - One Success At A Time
Create a small success and then, with each iteration, expand your expertise and audience until you've developed an inter/intra enterprise system driven by the learner's needs.
Christie Mason
Managers Forum
#37
: New Frontiers? Prototype It
If you have a wonderful new idea that can revolutionize your training, prototype it first, then ask for budget to develop it further. Your chances of receiving budget dollars for something
executives can see is much greater than for something they have to imagine.
Eli Munzer
Verizon
#38
: Buy-in From All
Ensure "buy-in" from management and staff who will be utilizing e-Learning. Make certain that they approve of the format/content/delivery method and feel that it is beneficial for the organization. Without buy-in, the best e-Learning system in the world will sit underutilized and ineffective.
Robert Barrett
Dillards
#39
: E-Learning In A Box
E-Learning is as much a culture change as it is a tool change. Most organizations are blindsided by the degree to which organizations need to understand how this modality will compliment or replace their existing approach. Learners are often the last to understand the reason for these changes. Extensive Marketing and Communications programs and campaigns need to be developed. An analysis of the existing learning culture or profile needs to be done, then a plan needs to be created mapping that profile to the new strategy. All the appropriate stakeholders need to be identified and served. A stakeholder is NOT only those taking the training, BUT also those affected by the training.
Bob Mosher
Microsoft
#40
: Getting Management On Board
You MUST have management buy in and support throughout the entire training process. If you can get the upper management on board to "push" your training program, your attendance and success rate is much higher. Trying to manage training from the training department doesn't (always) work.
Donald Humphreys
Bank One
#41
: Maintenance, Anyone?
Ensure you have a plan for updates or maintenance of the software.
Scott Sutker
Wachovia Corporation
#42
: Top 10 Best Practices for "Change" In A Learning Organization
1. Find senior support2. Hitchhike: Leverage new or existing leadership initiatives
3. Follow the money: Seek/understand funding and why projects are being funded 4. Seek "pull" not "push": Understand incentives and demand, and sell towards them 5. Leverage Account Manager model: Aligns business unit processes with learning center 6. "Grade" each other: Provides joint visibility to senior executives
7. First local, then global: Establishes tangible value propositions for stakeholders "day job" 8. Use the Middle: Real change occurs through the people that do the work
9. Hide the Bits/Bytes: Sell business value, not technology (it's a facilitator) 10. "High touch": Leverage relationships, meetings.."beyond the memo"
Saba Customer Advisory Board
Saba
#43
: Get There
One of my mentors once shared a valuable lesson when trying to design and implement an electronic system/solution into a busy work life full of inspired (and self-confident) professionals:
- Build it and they will come
- Build it right and they may use it correctly - Let them build it and they will already be there
Anonymous
#44
: Leading The Way
Actively engage company leadership in e-Learning vision and strategy.
Bob Dean
Grant Thornton
#45
: Turn Dreams Into Reality
Develop a personal vision of what practice would look like in an ideal state (with no constraints) and deliberately work towards that vision.
Sondra Hack
Highmark, Inc.
#46
: Managers: Respect Employee Training Time
Respect the time that employees have scheduled to complete the Web-based training. Do not disturb them while they are learning, unless it is for a critical business need. Before you interrupt an employee, ask yourself “Would I pull them out of a classroom training for this issue or concern?”
Jim R. Phelan Merck & Co.
#47
: Link Training To Core Needs
Well executed e-Learning targeted to a specific, core business need works well -- lots of success stories. General libraries of e-Learning courses work well in some environments, but are more vulnerable to expense reduction and cultural impacts. Link e-Learning to a core business need -- I can't emphasize this enough.
Sally Heinz
St. Paul Travelers
#48
: Meet Me In The Middle
Don't work "Top Down" or "Bottom Up" -- let them twist together in "The Middle."
Jan Cromwijk
Universiteit Twente
#49
: A New Mindset For A New Opportunity
Constantly challenge your self/team/clients/organization to push the balance between what's easy and what's best. Too often designs fall into familiar patterns from past experiences that are automatically (and often awkwardly) grafted on to new situations. Without upsetting the practical realities of time, cost, and quality requirements, we can often come up with innovative approaches that provide more effective learning experiences simply by entering new projects with a fresh and open mindset. Sure, it's
easier/faster/cheaper to "do what we did last time", but (in nearly every case) "this time" isn't "last time". Not recognizing this fact handicaps your efforts before they even begin.
Jon Revelos
Tata Interactive Systems
#50
: One-on-One Assistance
Consider establishing a Learning Consultant position for each department so that users have a person to help them become aware of, locate, use, and benefit from the e-Learning experiences available to them.
Pat Golden
Freddie Mac
#51
: Learning + Business + Technology = Value
I found that by focusing on "learning solutions" that have business value, and then building in technology to achieve the advantages we all know about, e-Learning can become much more relevant in the business world.
Willie Maritz
Kalleo Learning
#52
: More Buy-In
Be sure you have User and Management 'Buy In' to e-Learning. Many times, e-Learning is made available to users without anyone considering the users themselves. The fact that you develop e-Learning and make it accessible to users doesn't mean that your e-Learning initiative will be successful. Involving users in the process can make e-Learning a more positive experience. Managers can also be resistant to users taking the time away from their workloads. Reinforcing the benefits of the e-Learning initiative and communicating with managers are very important factors.
Susan B. Pysher Penn State University
#53
: Think Big, Start Small, Grow Fast!
Think about the Big Picture - the long-term roadmap for transforming the way learning works in your organization. Then figure out a set of intermediate tactical goals along the way. Make sure that each of these intermediate steps will provide demonstrable organizational benefit, preferably in hard financial terms. Try to make each goal add incrementally to the overall benefit being achieved.This way you can always answer the question: "What did e-Learning do for me THIS quarter?"
Andy Sadler
IBM
#54
: Just Do It
With the current economy, you may need to be realistic, not idealistic. Planning is the best way to build e-Learning but just doing it, honestly, has worked well for some.
Ahden Busch
Sun Microsystems
#55
: Absolutes, Musts And Maybes
Think about your project from a low, medium and high point of effort/investment. Define what you can live without, what you would like and what is absolute needed.
Dave Goodman
SoftAssist
#56
: Get Everyone On The Same Page
Organizations with instructional designers/developers who create proprietary e-Learning courseware may want to consider establishing an "e-Learning Charter." In the charter I created and which was eventually approved by my organization, we've described the process for program administrators to request an e-Learning project, the development process that is used, a roles definition description, and an approval process description. The Charter has been invaluable for me as I work with program representatives to develop e-Learning courseware for them.
Donna Maier
Idaho Dept. of Labor
#57
: Business Issues Need Only Apply
Make sure there is a clear business issue that e-Learning will address. Too many projects are started that do not have executive sponsorship or clearly address a business issue that needs to be resolved. The result is failure to continue once the budget comes into question.
Ed Chang
Microsoft
#58
: It Can Be Done
Measure twice, cut once. It's all about the plan and not the technology, products, or terminology. Figure out the goal and then back into it using what is currently available to you. Most
organizations have a decent IT infrastructure in place, like an Intranet. Use internal resources to build a preliminary e-Learning program and pilot it. Do this and get a feel for what it might take to fully implement BEFORE looking at a single vendor or product. This way, you can articulate your true needs, determine the current training organization's ability to move forward in the new world, and "bait and hook" your internal clients.
Scott Davis
Bose Corporation
#59
: Becoming Mainstream Is Still Some Time Away
Prepare for at least a two year change curve when implementing Virtual Classrooms and content. It will take this long for the delivery medium to blend into the woodwork.
Charles D. Hunter
Williams Scotsman
#60
: What Worked, What Didn't
Failures? Doing too much with too short a time frame; Doing too much with too little resources; Too many hands in the "cookie jar"; Over promising and under delivering. Successes? Since first impressions are everything, bringing in new opinions as new delivery mediums rolled out; Employing numerous content delivery methods; Telling them, showing them, telling them again, then giving them something to take away.
Albert Lilly
360 Training
#61
: Bridges Connect The Two Sides
When turning existing learning into online learning, be prepared to supply a "bridge" between Subject Matter Experts and developers to span the crevice of "Oh, I thought that was your area."
Ian Fyfe
Learndirect Scotland
#62
: Before Taking The Plunge
Develop an e-Learning strategy that addresses the needs, culture, objectives, etc., of your organization … then implement based on your strategy.
Jean Lowry
Energen Corporation
#63
: Building a Risk Managed Foundation
Highly recommended to support your strategy is a well-constructed research project to define the needs of your audience and to later provide a risk management foundation to support decisions. The research should be comprised of at least one survey supported by telephone and/or focus group interviews and designed to capture the following information:
1. demographics 2. educational history 3. educational preferences in content area, delivery, evaluation, support, interaction and recognition 4. technological capabilities 5. internet habits and history 6. communications and marketing. A strong business plan can now be developed to support your initiative with real data points from the research project and supporting
documentation that relates to the industry and educational needs of your audience.
Sabine Steinbrecher
The Learning Library
#64
: Banker, Lawyer or Indian Chief?
Try to understand the culture of the audience. Law enforcement, social workers, bankers, and construction workers come at the world from different viewpoints. Many times "good enough" does a very good job of accomplishing the training goal. A lot of training these days is required by new rules for certain industries. Many places just want the quickest and easiest path to reaching the minimum standard certification so they can go about their real business.
Paul L. Nenninger
PLN Consulting
#65
: How Can The Learner's Manager Help The Learning?
The user's manager should always take an active role in discussing online training and measuring effect by correlating data from ERP and CRM systems. Making sure a "practical" follow-up is completed immediately after the lesson indicates that the user can "apply" rather than "recount" the lesson. Consider building training into a person's quarterly review cycle as a continuous stream. Courses are started and finished, this implies an ending. Learning online is continual and should be fed according to needs. Try to deliver training to individuals at times when it can be readily applied but never leave it as completely optional, it'll never happen.
Martin Cannard
Symantec Corporation
#66
: Open The Door By Using Certification
One success for us has been bundling our e-Learning as part of a larger curriculum. The curriculum defines a series of courses, both Instructor Led and web based, that lead to certification as a "supervisor." If they want the certificate, they've got to do our courses. What we hope is that after they try it once, they'll come back for more.
Donna Lumia
Untied Technologies
#67
: Save Work & Rework
The most important thing is to clearly understand and confirm what a client has in his mind when he says you need to create an e-Learning module. Doing it in the beginning saves rework later.
Vinod Joshi
SQL Star
#68
: Some Things Never Change (And Shouldn't)
Critical success factors include: lots of communication and Change Management; Having a skilled e-Facilitator; Good content, not too bandwidth intensive and excellent Project Management.
Lou-Anne Lubbe
IBM
#69
: Not Optional, Sometimes
If we build it, we may need to (as managers) require them to come.
Dieter Stößel
#70
: Support Your Local Management
Educational change (regarding the implementation of e-Learning) requires a combination of vision, policy, and management based on knowledge and ambitions regarding the primary process - teaching and learning. So, to go beyond the project level of implementation of e-Learning, management should be supported to ask the right questions, weigh the answers, and formulate sound implementation strategies.
Peter J. Dekker
Universiteit van Amsterdam
#71
: Graduate With Good e-Learning Habits
Consider making e-Learning an integral feature of graduate programmes. Have graduates complete e-Learning pre, during and post programme - the aim is to instill a culture of e-Learning before any negativity sets in.
Gary Duffield
Xpertise Training Limited
#72
: Project Health Warning
Having the CEO on board is not enough. Having the CEO as sponsor is not enough. Having the executive directors say they are on board is not enough. What is? Challenging and validating all levels of ownership at each and every stage.
Dennis Colley
CORGI Group
#73
: 15 Minutes A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
Develop a culture that supports - at all levels - 15 minutes of professional development every day. Not an average, but a minimum of 15 minutes every single working day.
Will Fleshman
MindLeaders
#74
: Eliminate Any Barriers To Providing Support
e-Learning must be supported by an e-Learning culture. Sounds simple but very few companies think about enablers that they can put in place to support the learner and the barriers they can help overcome.
Bernadine Reynolds
Deloitte
#75
: Work Backwards
From the end result to how to get to that result. This will allow for you to look at how best to get there and how to convey the required information.
Jessica Berner
Meeting More Minds
#76
: It's All About Culture
When building an e-Learning strategy, give particular focus to how you will imbed this strategy into the culture of your business. No matter how strategic your plan, without cultural acceptance it'll never be successful.
Nancy J. Williams
Booz Allen Hamilton
#77
: IT Will Make or Break You
Involve IT as soon as it is determined the training/learning will occur online. They are critical stakeholders for all online learning activities.
Robert T. Guardi
CNA Insurance
#78
: I Exist, Therefore I Can Be Converted - NO!
Just because a course exists does not mean that the content is in shape for e-Learning conversion - even if the customer says so. No matter what, the content will need great elaboration, if not total re-working, for the interactive format. Understand that as managers you need to allow time and budget for this.
Deborah E. Blank, Ph.D.
SI International
#79
: Effectiveness, Anyone?
At the beginning of a project, push hard for the development of a project effectiveness strategy.
Jim Lombardo
Quilogy, Inc.
#80
: Business Talk Is In, Training Speak Is Out
If you are seeking funding from the business rather than from a training budget, ensure that you speak "business language" rather than training jargon. For example, when considering ROI on a project think about what your sponsor is going to want to see as results rather than what the training department may need.
Sarah Lindsell
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
#81
: Rock Solid Learning
If you do not have expert level technical staff in your department, partner with an IT group in your organization and ensure availability through budget transfer if necessary. Without a solid "e", there is no e-Learning.
Eli Munzer
Verizon
#82
: Getting It Right The First Time
"Swift trust" is a term than implies the quick formation of bonds of mutual acceptance, trust and respect in certain social situations. In Emergency Response situations, for example, emergency personnel
immediately afford each other complete trust, assuming everyone knows what they are doing. In other cases, trust must be earned. Preliminary research in e-Learning indicates that the formation of "swift trust" bonds between providers and recipients is critical. If you have a bad beginning, things don’t work,
preparation is weak, participants don’t know what is expected of them, etc. -- it is very hard to dig out of the hole even if subsequent events go very smoothly. If you have an excellent first experience, swift trust is afforded and it is much easier to keep the learners with you, tolerantly weathering the occasional glitch. Moral of the story? Don't underestimate the importance of planning, testing and sound organizational structures for all e-Learning events, with particular emphasis on forming "swift trust" in the initial events. (Note: Based on research by Starr-Roxanne Hiltz at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.)
Susan Bray
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and New Vistas
#83
: You Can't Teach What Isn't Teachable
Before developing e-Learning to teach a system or process, make sure the system/process is as intuitive, self-explanatory, and usable as it can be. Better to assist with usability testing and streamlining the system/process first than to develop the world's "best" e-Learning to teach an unnecessarily confusing system. A truly usable system will require much less training, documentation, and user time to learn.
Claudia Towne
Wisconsin Dept. of Transportation
#84
: Form Partnerships
Training cannot be developed or delivered in a vacuum. Making sure all the stakeholders in your e-Learning rollout stay informed is crucial. I see too often that IT is excluded from formative meetings where their input could have been crucial for eliminating roadblocks. Additionally, managers and supervisors need to remain aware of new initiatives affecting the employees that report to them. If everyone is on the same page and clearly understands what is expected of them, you've paved the way for a successful implementation.
Duncan Welder
RISC, Inc.
#85
: Risk (Assess) Your Project
It's worthwhile to spend some time doing a risk assessment and stakeholder assessment as part of the up-front planning for an e-Learning project. Ask "What are the risks and
opportunities?" and "What can I do to prevent or minimize the impact of risks materializing and to maximize the benefits of opportunities that may present themselves?" Also ask "Who will have an influence over the success of the process and the end product?" and think about how to best communicate with these people to maximize their support and buy-in.
Kerron Lamb
Public Works & Gov't Services Canada
#86
: Train Faculty Before They Train Students
Conduct "hybrid or blended" faculty workshops on e-Learning so that they get to experience e-Learning first hand. We've implemented a two track blended "eWorkshop" program in which faculty attend a 2-hour face-to-face hands-on training session to learn the technical skills associated with using our Course Management System. This face-to-face session is then followed by an online "eWorkshop" that spans a 2-week period during which we discuss the pedagogical and instructional design issues that relate to teaching and learning in online courses. Faculty have found the experience very beneficial and have even asked us to expand the online portion.
Josh Baron
Marist College
#87
: Capacity Planning Lets You Sleep At Night
We recently launched a Code of Conduct course which was mandatory for our entire company of about 6,000 people to take within a two week period. We've never had these problems in the past, but we had three server meltdowns in two weeks, which caused sleepless nights for the e-Learning manager and many frustrated users. Some vendors provide very good scalability information, others make you rely on your own internal processes. My tip for the day is to make sure you have a proven capacity planning methodology in place in order to sleep well at night when your courses are rolled out!
Ken Steinman
The Regence Group
#88
: Can't Do It Without You
Senior management has to understand the staffing requirements for an e-Learning development team.
Tricia Franke
Fidelity Investments
#89
: Never Underestimate
… the cultural impact and the required changes that Learning brings. Or the impact that successful e-Learning has on displacing other training providers and the possible impact on the internal friendships.
Dave Sanderson
General Mills
#90
: Rolls Royce or Transportation?
Don't create a full-blown online training course when a simple-to-use online reference guide will do the trick. Often, when managers think "We need training on this!". we really only need a simplified version of the complicated policy or procedures online so that the information is available at their fingertips.
Debbie Vogel
#91
: Cancelled Project, Anyone?
From my experience -- know your audience, clearly define your project at the beginning and don't change your team in midstream (unless absolutely necessary). Else, it may lead to your e-Learning project being cancelled.
Daniel Rosen
GMAC Educational Services
#92
: Add Training To Your Staff Meeting's Agenda
Schedule time in a staff meeting to review the material that you and your employees have learned from the Web-based training. Provide context, assignments and work samples to help transfer the learning to the reality of the workplace.
Jim R. Phelan Merck & Co.
#93
: Time Saved Is Time (& Money) Earned
Define the environment of the target audience and know their restrictions before you start planning your e-Learning project. This will enhance the usability and avoid technical issues that they might encounter in advance. This will also save the developer's time when planning the strategy or designing e-Learning application.
Ikuko Kawasaki
Randstad North America
#94
: Dear Manager
Teachers need the support of their manager if e-Learning is to be successful.
Madeleine Pitt
Chisholm Institute
#95
: Know Your Audience & "Bloom" Your Objectives
Know who they are, where they are, what their preferences for e-Learning might be, know the culture they operate in, know what type of technological or infrastructure constraints the user may be dealing with. Know what you can do for your audience and what the value of your course is, through their eyes. Then consider objectives. Know why you are creating the e-Learning solution and know what you expect your audience to do when they have participated in your solution. Think of how the learner will be changed as a result of the experience. Use Bloom's Taxonomy for more than just a thesaurus. The rule of thumb is that typically solutions which meet knowledge or comprehension objectives are more able to be provided to general audiences for a lower cost than those courses which have to meet Synthesis or Evaluation objectives. Typically those courses which address higher order objectives are more expensive to produce and are for more targeted audiences than those courses which meet lower order objectives.
Mary Bollash
United Technologies
#96
: Investigate Before You Leap
Get the management buy-in and the cultural issues dealt with first. Then create your
budget/resources. But is that really enough? Maybe not - do find out before you go any further.
Sue Cohen
Grant Thornton
#97
: Don't Re-Invent The Wheel
Use vendors' expertise and challenge them with your specific business needs. They have probably seen this before with another client.
Elaine Wilson
British Airways
#98
: See The Big Picture
Don't think of it as e-Learning - think of it as Performance Support and take a broader picture of helping people accomplish their goals.
Clark Quinn
OtterSurf Laboratories
#99
: Budget Out Several Years To Stay In
Make sure you know where your e-Learning budget will come from three years down the road. Have a business model that is built to last for your e-Learning initiative.
Dr. Herwig Rollett
Assn. For Computing Machinery
#100
: Find The Answer To The Right Question
Industry statistics consistently suggest that 80% of the time, training is NOT the most appropriate way to solve a performance gap. If training isn't the answer, e-Learning won't be either. And there are lots of ways to use electronic tools (EPSS, synchronous and asynchronous collaboration, knowledge repositories, etc.) to address that 80%, if we can just get away from the training model.
Karin Albert
#101
: Cross Your I's & Dot Your T's … Later
During the design phase (especially early high-level design), opt to iterate on imperfect ideas early, often, and quickly with the client, rather than toiling long and hard to deliver a single brilliant and polished idea. It's a much more effective way to satisfy and involve the client, and it reduces the risk that you will end up spending effort pursuing a dead-end. It requires that you swallow a bit of ego that you don't have "the best answer" right out of the chute, but if you properly prepare the client that this is your approach (lest they be surprised), it'll deliver big dividends on both sides of the relationship.
Jon Revelos
Tata Interactive Systems
#102
: Let's Practice What We Preach
Develop intelligence on e-Learning within YOUR learning function.
Bob Dean
Grant Thornton
#103
: "Competensize" Your Courses
Map your online course offerings to competencies. This helps users select the appropriate courses that address their development requirements.
Linda Al Ansari
Emirates
#104
: In The First Go-Around, Forget The "e" Of e-Learning
Ask yourself instead: What are you trying to achieve? What is the size and characteristic of the target audience? By when does the course need to be ready? How often does it have to be updated? Other issues to consider? Then once you are very clear about where you are going, it is now the time to ask the question about the appropriate media: Is this a case for e-Learning and why? Am I able to find generic courses? Synchronous versus asynchronous e-Learning? What are the infrastructure restraints within your environment? Any prior e-Learning
experiences within the company?, etc.
Antoine Gerschel
#105
: It's Like Building A House
Instructional design and review time is usually about 25% more than planned. Watch your planning schedule!
Dave Goodman
SoftAssist
#106
: Go Forward Or Step Back And Reassess?
Never invest in e-Learning unless you have had: Buy-in from the top, dedicated authors, pilot schemes to the departments that have shown interest, word of mouth for proven successes, and modules that have proven to be useful to the leaners. If so, then keeping the momentum going!
Fae Longman
CMS Cameron McKenna
#107
: Checklist, Ready, Plan!
Read industry articles that describe e-Learning checklists for e-Learning readiness. Using these ideas, customize your checklist. Then place the checklist in a prominent place on your website and embed it in any training, promotional material (etc.) give credit to the original suggestions to the authors/publications. And of course, use it yourself to make sure you are ready!
M. Miles Gray
Mentoring Solutions Inc.
#108
: Do You LMS? Not At The Start You Don't
Never start your project by deciding which LMS you will use. At first, concentrate on the
educational structure and needs of your organization. After completing this phase and having a complete analysis of your e-Learning needs, then begin evaluating different LMSs. In this way, you can ensure that you will make a more effective decision.
Aysenur T. Akman
Oyak Technology
#109
: All On Board?
Work to get anyone who might possibly be involved on board with the project before beginning implementation. It may take more up-front time, but helps avoid some of those last minute surprises.
Diane Wren
Kaiser Permanente
#110
: Strategy Tidbits To Live By
Be sure that middle management is involved; make use of Learning ambassadors; see e-Learning as a part of a major change and be sure that everything is of high quality (technical, content, system, communication plan, etc.).
Joke de Laaf
Syntegra Learning Solutions
#111
: "Free" Training - Come And Get It!
In a corporate setting, employees should not get e-Learning for free (they won't appreciate it). They also don't need to pay for it. This conundrum can be solved by awarding notional training dollars to every employee at the beginning of the year (say US 2,000). Then as they take courses, the LMS deducts the courses cost from their notional account. This leads to
accountability fast. At the end of the year, the employees who still have 2,000 dollars in their account have some explaining to do.
Anonymous
#112
: Cultural Change Doesn’t Happen At Once
Even though your measurement will show the success of your e-Learning endeavor, cultural change will always lag. Make sure that management will support your future e-Learning and blended classes. A one time, 20 minute e-Learning session is swiftly embraced compared to the multiple engagement blended approach that seems to cause time management and planning headaches. Balancing several employees engaged in different blended learning events can drive your most supportive managers away.
Mark Wagner
Progressive
#113
: Build the Foundation
Make sure the appropriate individuals are contacted at the inception of an e-Learning project to ensure there are no obstacles later. Identify the roles of all involved in the project so that each person has a clear understanding of the expectations and responsibilities.
Kathy Lents
HouseHold International, Inc.
#114
: Align Learning With Business Units
Regardless of politics and reporting structures, the most successful models to emerge employ cross-functional Account Management teams to continually plan and manage learning strategy and development with Business Unit leadership and key process owners. In these
environments, "engagement becomes marketing" as teams partner to define key business metrics and success factors, and then how and what training programs will support and enhance them. A best practice emerging from this engagement model is that they "grade" one another on their results and report this up the food chain. The picture of two different business executives, both of whom are close to "achieving their numbers," is vastly different if one is getting a "B+" on people development and the other is getting a "C-."
Grant Ricketts
Saba
701 e-Learning Tips by The MASIE Center www.masie.com 26
Chapter 3: So Many Choices, So Little Time
- Contract$, Procurement & Negotiation$
Today more than ever before costs and budgets are being closely scrutinized. But that
is OK -- that is the way it should be. Now that you know what you (really) need and your
strategy and support is in place, let’s begin looking more closely at products, services,
technology and costs.
#115
: The Best Is Yet To Come
Signing a contract with a content provider is not the end; it is only the beginning.
Bruce Maples
Humana, Inc.
#116
: Rights and Re-Use
For outsourced custom developed e-Learning, be sure your contract gives your ownership over the deliverables and that the supplier hands over the corresponding source files.
Gregory S. Richardson Bank of America
#117
: Test Drive To Reality Check
Road test your company's computer system with the e-Learning supplier's system to ensure compatibility before you commit to a contract. Don't believe the talk that they are compatible. This is particularly important if your company users are geographically dispersed over a large expanse of land like we are in British Columbia (three times the size of Texas) and your company uses computers extensively for communications and business.
Lindsay McCracken
BC Hydro
#118
: High Maintenance Can Be Costly
If your organization relies heavily on distributed computer based training and the system is old and very difficult to upgrade, perhaps you should think about investing in a new one to reduce maintenance, increase profits, and not risk the safety of the data.
Carold D.Whisnant
APS
#119
: Optimum Choice
Prior to signing into a contract with an e-Learning provider, make sure that you have reviewed at least 10 other products from other vendors so that you have a clearer understanding of
capabilites. Also observe the program being delivered at least three times to identify any gliches that are not apparent in a demo. Evaluate the history of an e-Learning provider as this will give some indication as to whether they will be around in the future to offer the technical assistance.
Kathy Lents
HouseHold International, Inc.
#120
: Show Me!
Buy stuff that works … seeing is believing.
Richard Berg
#121
: Cheaper By The Dozen?
Never purchase a library model e-Learning portfolio unless you have a firm handle on the forecast demand since the library model may not be cheaper in the end than paying per use at your forecast. Know and compare!
Sonya Davis
Dow
#122
: Onsite Demos Means At YOUR Site
Determine your wants and needs for an LMS/LCMS or any other e-Learning product prior to meeting with a vendor. This should be a long needs analysis on what makes sense now and into the future. You should be listing current needs, future needs and nice-to-haves. Then you will be prepared to talk with vendors. And once you know your needs, make sure demos and testing of their product are done in YOUR environment and within your architecture.
Anonymous
#123
: Cheaper … Or Not?
The cost of developing effective asynchronous content can vary widely. Thus, asynchronous e-Learning may or may not be as cost-effective as synchronous. Find and apply the specifics of your situation.
Bruce Maples
Humana, Inc.
#124
: See & Test For Yourself Before You Buy
Test all software for compatibility and compliance to standards. Many vendors say that they are compliant (e.g., AICC, etc.), yet there are problems with implementing their software and training. So make sure YOU do testing before signing any contracts. And make sure you test it with your internal systems including your LMS. This can help reduce issues when going to implement a program.
Sara S Jacobson
BP p.l.c.
#125
: Buyer Beware
When dealing with vendors who are selling e-Learning courses that you intend to integrate with your LMS, remember that the AICC-compliant courseware they're selling may not always integrate with your AICC-compliant LMS system without costly and time-consuming re-work.
Doug Kendig
Office Depot
Chapter 4: Content, Content (Not To Mention Content)
…How To Best Design & Deliver It
Ah, instructional design – the heart of it all. This is probably why we were not surprised
when this category received the highest number of tips from our readers. What did they
have to say?
#126
: Keep It Small
If it is longer than 15 minutes, cut it up into 15 minute chunks.
Jack Odom
Cadence
#127
: Experience Before Design
Don't design a class until you have taken at least three.
Jerry Monti
Common Sense Publishing, Inc.
#128
: Design Nuts-n-Bolts Considerations
My biggest tips for anyone developing e-Learning content is to consider the following BEFORE you begin production:
1. How are you going to deliver the content experience? Web, intranet, wireless, LAN, CD, DVD or other ... this often influences or dictates platform, plug-ins and devices used.
2. Do you need learner tracking and/or database connectivity? AICC, SCORM or your own home brewed measurements may be required and that often influences or dictates authoring tools, protocols and platforms. 3. Do you need to update the application over time? If you are striving to make more reusable learning objects or content, then you have to look at the authoring tool, the enterprise and your team's own skill set to create and manage such e-Learning experiences and remember that as your content evolves, the context can change and evolve too.
4. How much interactivity, media support or control does your e-Learning content need? This really impacts your team of SME's, IDE's or authors as they will need to have a broad range of skills in producing audio, video, scripting, metadata, bandwidth, hardware and software; and issues of accessibility (section 508), cross platform playback and efficiency will also need to be addressed.
5. It is about the experience (authoring and content) not the money you spend. Okay the money is important and impacts the final results, but the e-Learning content you produce is the ultimate measure of success. Great e-Learning content, resulting from an authoring tool experience that integrates with other e-Learning sytems in a reusable way, saves any organization lots of money and delivers a better overall ROI & product.
Tom Person
Macromedia
#129
: Been There, Done That Scenarios
Use scenarios familiar to your audience to capture their attention when creating content.
Carol Barnett
PeaceHealth
#130
: K.I.S.S.
Keep it simple stupid. Too many bells and whistles may cloud the message you are trying to convey, not to mention lengthen the development and testing timeline.
Brian Lauer
Freddie Mac
#131
: Content Follows Process
Designers must address the notion of designing to a PROCESS rather than CONTENT. Too many view the training as being content driven when in fact it is process driven. So many designers believe that without first putting the content together, there is nothing to begin to develop. Rather, if the process is in place, one that takes into account the characteristics of the multimedia that they have access to, the characteristics of the target audience, and the characteristics of the task being learned, then the content can be introduced into the process once the instructional outcomes have been established. Realize the constraints placed if content drives the design.
Jonathan Dell
Aetna
#132
: The Network Is The Application
Design your media and interactivity for delivery over the smallest bandwidth your customers have.
Mike Davis
IBM
#133
: Design & Re-Purpose To The Technology
Design EVERYTHING for the technology selected. When complete, your design should be so powerful, so engaging, and so robustly integrated to the selected technology that you couldn't deliver it using another technology even if you wanted to. The same goes for re-purposing. Use the original design as reference, and start over! Even a slide format for a classroom needs to be tweaked to work in a webinar.
Ken Seemann
Nextel Communications
#134
: At The Heart Of It
It's not enough to engage learners' minds. You must engage their hearts as well.
Carter Andrews
Little Planet Learning
#135
: Don't Kidnap The Page Design
Details such as use of white space and the design of the text on the page are important. Keep the font simple - no ransom notes with different fonts and caps.
Janet Lowe
Sun Microsystems
#136
: Big Objectives, Small Modules
Separate learning objectives into small enough modules such that each module is deliverable in no more than 3-5 web pages.
Perry E. D'Antonio
Sandia National Laboratories
#137
: Earlier = Cheaper/Better/Faster
Get detailed input from the SMEs during the storyboarding phase. Don't wait until you've programmed the module as changes at this phase are much costlier and more time-consuming.
Mark Hetrick
Aetna, Inc.
#138
: Can't Be Stressed Enough
Keep the end user in mind.Ross Vierra
#139
: Adapt, Don't Just Copy
Put thought into the creation of the e-Learning module. Follow instructional design principles. E-learning is NOT just a conversion of Word or PowerPoint documents. E-Learning is a different medium - adapt your content accordingly.
Ashok Malani
TIMGC, Inc.
#140
: Appeal To 2 or More Learning Styles
Take a moment to think about different learning styles when you approach the storyboarding and Instructional Design. Try to incorporate information in a way that would appeal to at least two different styles. Engaging your learner is key, no matter what the venue.
Mike Cormier
Vital Knowledge SoftWare
#141
: Word Smithing
Avoid corporate-ese ... speak the language of your audience and use the least amount of words possible to make the point. Write in an active voice and explain any jargon as it comes up. Consider using a glossary if possible so if the learner already knows the definition, they don't have to waste time reading it again. Like authors, it's our job to "suspend the reader/learner's disbelief" and make them feel like they're in a classroom. Distractions such as poor grammar, choppy page transitions, misspelled words, etc. break a learner's concentration.
Nancy Heiser
Kimberly-Clark
#142
: Develop An e-Content Project Plan
Write down your communication objectives and refer to them often throughout the development process. When you’ve settled on your objectives, begin developing a storyboard or schematic layout of your e-communication. A great way to do this is with a pad of large Post-It Notes and an empty wall. Using one note per page, map out your website or communication, keeping in mind the navigation your viewers will need. If you’re creating a website, you have endless options. But, you basically have two top line choices for your design: wide and shallow like a portal or narrow and deep like an e-learning course.
Jeff Harris
Trivantis Corporation
#143
: More Design Considerations
When I am designing materials I try to follow these characteristics: 1. Keep it simple and use a delivery technology known and understood by the intended users 2. Break materials into logical modules that can stand alone or build upon one another to produce a complete package 3. Incorporate case studies and examples that are related to the learners environment and that support in class workshop style trainings. Always link to problem solving in real world terms, give users something they can apply right now and 4. Update the materials to keep them fresh and to give the user a reason to continue to come back.
Robert Schram
Dow
#144
: Don't Confuse Your Learner
The e-Learning program must be easy to access and navigate or you will lose the learner before they can even start.
Don Eppert
Sara Lee
#145
: Keep Things Simple
Don't try to get too fancy, too fast. The more complex your solution, the more things can go wrong.
John Brisbin
Scotiabank
